Feminine Discontents in ‘Back from the Dead’ and ‘The Other One’
Catherine Turney, a top-drawer writer of classic films about strong women, adapts her supernatural novel The Other One for Back from the Dead.
Michael Barrett
Michael Barrett works in a public library. For more than 20 years, he wrote a monthly video column in the San Antonio Express News stressing classic and foreign films. His national publications include Video Watchdog, Nostalgia Digest and Retro Cinema. He's also written scripts that still await their destiny.
‘Time of the Heathen’ Mixes Atomic Angst with Racial Woes
Time of the Heathen is a nightmarish, hyper-edited, avant-garde freak-out as atomic angst and racial woes wend their way toward Shakespearean tragedy.
Philosophies and Ironies in Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’
In Éric Rohmer’s ‘Tales of the Four Seasons’, everything exists on an elevated Expressionist plane; every detail dovetails into its hermetic philosophies and ironies.
‘World of Giants’ Is Cold War Sci-Fi Espionage with a Small Difference
World of Giants is catnip and dog-nip and gopher-nip for connoisseurs of classic sci-fi TV ’50s style, aka, the art of really short half-hour storytelling.
Detective Fantasy ‘You Never Can Tell’ Spoofs Film Noir
Fantasy, comedy, romance, reincarnation, animals and murder are ingredients for You Never Can Tell, a whimsical story with spoofs of film noir.
21 Beacon Street’s Impossible Missions
In 13 episodes, lost TV wonder 21 Beacon Street is an uncanny and legally actionable precursor to the Mission Impossible franchise.
Silent Film Jewels About Mothers, Horses and Gorillas
A female Tarzan and her gorilla, a horse that revenges his murdered master, mothers, and comical aviators make the scene in these silent film jewels.
Film Noir Trio Showcases Edward G. Robinson on All Sides of the Law
The films in Film Noir: The Dark Side of Cinema XVII are united by one of Hollywood’s greatest actors, the almost casually brilliant and magnetic Edward G. Robinson.
Chantal Akerman’s Evolutions and Revolutions
From kitchen epics to road odysseys, these nine Chantal Akerman films chart the evolutions and revolutions of one of modern cinema’s most important auteurs.
Chewing the Scenery and Chewing on Actors in ‘Man-Eater of Kumaon’
Sabu and a tiger foreshadow Byron Haskin’s special effects and science fiction adventures of humans vs. the elements in Man-Eater of Kumaon.
Inspector Maigret Mysteries Made in Occupied France
There’s no war going on in these subversive Inspector Maigret whodunits from occupied France, but there’s a lot more murder and paranoia than in the era’s newspapers.
1930s Cinema Gets Wild and Funny with ‘French Revelations’
1930s cinema gets wild and funny with French Revelations: Fanfare d’amour and Mauvaise Graine, talkies with impolite elements from Pottier, Wilder, and Esway.